As Nigerians groaned under the burden of transborder kidnapping, insurgency and banditry, the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, has lauded Governor Biodun Oyebanji, for designing policies to entrench effective border and boundary management to foster peace, unity and ensure security of lives and property.
To overcome the burdensome and nagging crises, the Ekiti’s number two citizen, counseled the federal government to embark on aggressive border and boundary administration that can curb spiraling kidnappings and killings across the geopolitical zones through regular partnership and exchange of ideas with states .
Mrs Afuye said these on Wednesday, at the conclusion of the third annual National Assembly Border and Boundary Community interface organised by the Senate Committee on States and Local Governments’ Administration in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.
Addressing the experts and top public servants at the three-day event, Mrs Afuye , disclosed that Governor Oyebanji has not been treating issues relating to border and boundary management with kid’s gloves to avert unwarranted security threat.
On how Ekiti was setting the pace in border and boundary management administration, the Deputy Governor, hailed Governor Oyebanji for designing the template of “give and take” policy that had helped in resolving many perennial land disputes across towns..
She added that the governor had in the last three and half years resolved several intra state disputes that have become reference points and templates being adopted by the National Boundary Commission(NBC) to tackle some of the nagging issues in this sector.
“When we came on board, we set a template and introduced the principle of “give and take” in resolving some of our intra state land crises. It was this template that we used to resolve the perennial land tussles between Osan/Epe and Osan/Iro Ekiti in Moba Local Government area of our state. Today, the template used had been adopted at the federal level.
“It is imperative to add that some of the inter state boundary and border crises we have with our neighbouring states of Osun, Ondo, Kwara and Kogi are being handled with seriousness that they deserved.
“Following signals and red flags that we perceived that some of these crises were fast approaching a dangerous dimension, I had led delegations to some of these states to discuss how we could resolve some of these issues through roundtable talks and using the principle of give and take that we have formulated and these are yielding results”.
The Deputy Governor appreciated the National Assembly for standing tall to be part of the interface, saying the country needs effective and workable constitutional framework to resolve some of the border and boundary tussles.
She stated that the Senate, comprising people elected to defend the Nigerian citizens will be useful in making laws and carry out expected amendments that can enhance border and boundary administration in the country .
Mrs Afuye hailed the NBC for resolving some of the raging inter state border crises in the country, but hinted that a lot more needed to be done to give border communities unity if purpose to monitor their boundaries.
She disclosed that criminals often banked on raging disputes between states and communities to perpetrate evils using porous borders as escape routes and focal points of operations.
“This seminar shows that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government is being fervent and serious in its efforts to combat the crises associated with border and boundary administration across this nation. I can boldly say with all sense of dignity that the National Boundary Commission had worked zealously to restore normalcy in some crisis ridden states and efforts are also ongoing to resolve those that are yet to be attended to.
“Let me affirm here that effective border and boundary management is essential to national growth and development as well as good governance by helping in ensuring security of lives and property. I also share the view that the rampancy of boundary disputes in any nation can affect security of lives and property and slow down investment drives.
“Looking at all these worrisome cases, one can’t but agree with the fact that this country needs to map out effective border and boundary management system that can potently tackle trans border banditry and restore peace to our nation.
“Most of the crises associated with insecurity were traceable to poor border administration that often leads to influx of criminals, besides persistent cases of inter and intra state land disputes that were disturbing the peace of the citizens”.